Comb



y 1 1951 w. H. CARTHEUSER 2,559,940

. COMB Filed July 5, 1949 WLL/AM H Chen/50552,

INVENOR.

Patented July 10, 1951 COMB William H. Gar-theuser, Los Angeles, Calif., assignor of forty-five per cent to Stephen It. Coleman, Los Angeles, Calif.

Application July 5, 1949, Serial N 0. 103,051

3 Claims. (01. 132-26) The present invention relates to combs in general and particularly to a comb characterized by its ability to grip strands of hair and individual hairs to prevent accidental displacement. Combs incorporating resilient teeth have proven their worth and acceptability and the present inven tion improves their good qualities through providing a positive locking action.

Combs for the hair of the type adapted to be positioned therein and to remain for a period of time are known as side or back combs. They may carry decorative designs or may be plain and have as their function merely the retention of hair in a particular relationship. Such combs may be made of resilient plastic or suitable metal and are frequently of the bowed or expanded tooth type. Experience has shown, however, that these combs lack a positive retaining action which is desirable and which is only obtainable by a clamping of individual hairs rather than a fairly loose group or bunch of hairs collectively. The comb constructed in accordance with the present invention is characterized in that in addition to providing the automatic gripping action heretofore solely relied upon by combs of this type for their ability to remain in place, it is additionally provided with a positive clamping action for individual hairs or series of indvidual hairs.

It is, accordingly, a purpose and object of the invention to provide a comb which may readily be inserted into the hair and which when once so inserted remains in place by virtue of a positive gripping action.

It is another object of the invention to provide an improved comb for the hair in which the hair seating in the comb is gripped in bunches by a retractive gripping force and individually with a positive locking action.

A still further object of the invention is to provide an improved comb for the hair, the resilient qualities of which enable it to clamp positively a plurality of individual hairs to prevent accidental displacement.

These and other more specific objects will appear upon reading the following specification and claims and upon considering in connection therewith the attached drawing to which they relate.

Referring now to the drawing in which a preferred embodiment of the invention is illustrated:

Figure 1 is a front view of a comb constructed in accordance with the present invention;

Figure 2 is a top view thereof; and

Figure 3 is a fragmentary enlarged view illus- 2 trating more clearly the clamping slit formed between the upper ends of adjacent resilient teeth.

In the drawing the comb'constructed in accordance with the present invention is indicated generally by the reference character It] and comprises a back II which may be contoured as desired but which, for purposes of the present illustration, is seen to comprise a main lower portion and a reduced upper rounded portion. From the back a multiplicity of integral teeth, indicated generally by the reference character I2, extend downwardly and, with the exception of the two end teeth, which are special cases and will be subsequently described, are formed of spaced limbs I3. Limbs I3 extend downwardly from the back in reversed identical curves to form a terminal point, indicated in each instance by the reference character I4. As stated, the limbs l3 are integral with back H and the pairs forming a tooth I2 extend therefrom in spaced relationship, first gently curving toward each other, then bowing outwardly to form a central expanded portion, beyond which they slope to ward each other to form terminals I4 in each instance. The outer or end teeth, indicated by the reference character I6, are identical to the teeth positioned therebetween except that their outer limbs are straight.

Adjacent teeth l2 are so positioned in each instance that their limbs provide at their outer ends an upwardly converging throat I! closed at its top by the resilient contact of the limbs I3 of adjacent teeth. Above this point of contact is a closed space I8 having its own upper limit defined by a slit between the teeth which narrows to less than the width of a single human hair, that is, to less than .011 mm. In fact the slit may be formed by plane contact between the adjacent limbs I3 of adjacent teeth and may depend upon their resilience to enable hairs to be wedged therein. The slit is indicated by the reference character I9 and its function is to clamp individual hairs, or a series of individual hairs, which are wedged upwardly therein with a positive clamping action, as distinguished from the group frictional gripping action which characterizes the retaining force exerted by the teeth at the spaces I8 upon the hair positioned therein.

In the use of the comb constructed in accordance with the present invention the comb is held by the back II and the teeth I2 are forced into the hair which passes upwardly through the throats II between the individual teeth I2 which may be plastic or metal, or other suitable material, and the hairs which are wedged into the slits I9 are subjected to a positive clamping action supplementing the retractive gripping force exerted in the spaces [8 with a more positive locking action positively to prevent displacement of the comb.

While the particular apparatus herein shown and described in detail is fullycapable of attaining the objects and providing the advantages hereinbefore stated, it is to be understood that it is merely illustrative of the presently preferred embodiments of the invention and that no limitations are intended to the details of construction or design herein shown other than as defined in the appended claims.

I claim:

1. A comb comprising a back formed of resilient material from one side of which extend a plurality of resilient teeth each formed by a pair of spaced limbs which are equally and oppositely curved in their extensions from the back to form first a narrow space and then an enlarged bowed section before terminating in a pointed terminal, characterized in that the spaced limbs of adjacent teeth are resilient and make resilient contact with the limbs of adjacent teeth and in that the upper ends of the limbs of adjacent teeth converge to form slits having a width less than the diameter of the smallest human hair and capable of clamping a single hair.

2. A comb comprising a back of resilient material from which extend a plurality of teeth each formed of spaced limbs which first converge, then expand, and then converge again to form a pointed terminal, characterized in that the lower ends of adjacent teeth form an upwardly converging throat, the bowed sections of said limbs make frictional contact with the bowed sections of adjacent teeth, and in that the adjacent upper ends of limbs of adjacent teeth converge to form slits having a width of less than .011 mm. and capable of gripping a single hair below and adjacent said back.

3. A comb comprising a back formed of resilient material from one side of which extend a plurality of resilient teeth each making contact withadjacent teeth and formed by a pair of spaced limbs equally and oppositely curved in their extensions from said back to form, in cooperation with an adjacent contacted tooth, a hair-receiving space closed at one end by the resilient contact of the adjacent teeth and adjacent said back by a resilient slit which narows to a width less than the minimum diameter of a human hair and which is adapted to exert a clamping action upon a hair wedged therein.

WILLIAM H. CARTHEUSER.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,684,362 Sawyer Sept. 11, 1928 2,384,013 Caldora Sept. 4, 1945 

